You Don't Need an English Lit Degree to Write in English

Many of my followers on Instagram asked me for tips to write effectively in English.

You can find general tips on how to improve your English writing by a simple Google search. I don't know if my IG followers are too lazy to take such self initiatives or are looking for personalized tips. Either way, I got a topic to write on so it's a win for me! 💥😀😅 While IG is not the best place to showcase your writing prowess, it can launch your writer self up notches. 

I don't have a degree. For me, it was either my self-taught way or no way

Academic qualification wise, I don't have a degree. Armed with a Band 5 in Malaysian University English Test (MUET), I set off on a wordsmith journey. Currently, I work for an eLearning company called Genashtim as a Content Writer. My primary role is content development but not limited to that. I also edit clients' intranet content, review eLearning modules for QA, proofread, and help my colleagues with minor edits. 

This is my story featured on my company's social media.

I wasn't able to continue with my formal, conventional tertiary level education as I fell gravely ill with a rare genetic illness that was diagnosed late. It took me 5 years just to recover from my progressive disease. I had to relearn most of my basic physical functions including writing. 

I had written reams manually just to get used to writing by hand. Then I learned how to type using the laptop my brother had gotten me. I still write manually. I never stopped writing and reading. I honed my English writing skills enough to freelance online, earning in USD. Though the income was not stable, I was able to earn, buy things for myself and save money. 

My writing journey then became controversial

I wrote for newspapers, blogged, and wrote on social media. Writing became second nature for me. It's like breathing. When I started writing for my Facebook page, Karutthu Kannammaa. Malaysian Indian men loved to ridicule those write-ups as essays. They tried to break my spirit by trolling the posts my friend and I made, that that they are substandard and pure drivel. My online Malaysian Indian friends turned against me when I started the FB page and loved to say all my written works are copy-pasted besides trolling me viciously online - I had cut ties with them since. I staunchly stuck to writing and today, the ‘essays’ have become Karutthu Kannammaa’s trademark.

I briefly wrote for a Tamil entertainment website called Retamil as well for a friend and my posts got shared thousands of times. He taught me how to do Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and a little bit of HTML coding. We are still thick friends and I love to poke him about how we haven't met personally yet. 

The flak I got for preferring to communicate in English

Above all, as y'all might have guessed now, I am not a native English speaker. I have been through the gauntlet where Indian men tell me to speak in Tamil as I am not Queen Liz's granddaughter. And, I am not even an ethnic Tamil, lol. 😈😈😈 I am multilingual and I am most comfortable communicating in English and the Malay language as I had received formal education in both language mediums.💃💃💃 The courses I take online are in English. I had taught myself to read Tamil though.

Yes, English is just a language, not knowledge. But it is a medium to communicate knowledge

So, if you can’t convey knowledge in effective English, your cause is lost. Why did Malaysia make the learning of math and science in English? Coz in university, it is all in English. Your curriculum vitae requires English. If you have grammatical errors in your resume, it is as good as garbage. The average Malaysian’s English proficiency is wanting. Also, who said English is the sole monopoly of the British royalty? Most of the Indians who shame other Indians who speak English do so due to their inferiority complex of not being eloquent in English. Don’t la boss.

Tips for writing better in English

I am still learning English myself. I still make mistakes in English despite my extensive experience – I learn from them👉. Here are the things I do to enhance my English language skills:

1. Be humble and open to learning – I am always in awe of the writing of others👽👽👽 and wish I could write like them. I often adopt writing styles and I have developed my own writing style as well.
2. Read dictionaries and Thesaurus – I do this to get to know new words, their meanings, and usage. I try to incorporate them in my writing💖.
3. Learn a new word a day – this is an exercise to expand your vocabulary✊✊.
4. Be a flexible writer – you can take free English writing courses online to master different genres of writing. Such courses will teach you how to condense a 1000 words article into a 100 words summary and how to elaborate a 100 words summary into a 1000 words write-up and so much more - the sky is the limit💪💪💪.
5. Practice makes perfect – it is a platitude but it totally works to consolidate your writing skills👼👼👼.
6. Be a voracious reader – you can’t write effectively if you don’t read actively😏😏😏.

Decide. Formal writing or informal writing? Or both? You can have your cake and eat it too. Business writing is my profession. Blogging is my hobby. Writing for Instagram and Facebook is my activism. All 3 require different writing styles and I fluctuate between the 3 of them. Decide your specialization by determining your writing purpose. Then you can crossover. Personally, I had trouble copyediting as my primary role is as a content developer. I had to reskill myself while not compromising on content development. It’s a learning process.

Apocryphally, a wise man once said that English is like spectacles. You can't wear it when sleeping. If I may correct the wise man, English and any other extra languages you know serves as binoculars - you cover more ground and are enabled to see further. 

Writing creates ideas. The world is your oyster so write away!